Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 November 1900 — FEARED THE SILENT VOTER. [ARTICLE]

FEARED THE SILENT VOTER.

Campaign Managers Tried Hard to Learn His Political Preferences. ' Moreover, party workers whose function was to ascertain the sentiments of voters, to make canvasses aud polls for the guidance of managers ami in general obtain information that would be valuable in determining what the official count of the ballots would show met more difficulties and obstacles in the performance of their work than ever before in the history_of. modern American politics. The one feature of the campaign which impressed every politician, every correspondent and every unprofessional observer who -had occasion to travel much was the seeming tranquillity of the voters. Political activity, as it was understood in 1896 or in any of the stirring presidential campaigns previous to that year, seemed lacking to such an extent as to bewilder the experts, who were relying on surface events to furnish them with indications of what would happen oh election day. The (leicentage of votej'swkadecliucd to state wtro was- their choice for President was so large this year as to establish a-new record. There were almost countless thousands of them in the middle XVest ami Eastern States. Not only did they refuse to state how they were going to vote, but they refrained from all participation in the work of the campaign. They eschewed the political pa-r.-ole, remained away from the political mass meeting, exTiTbitcd an unnatural indifference for distinguished candidates and ignored the proximity of spellbinders. They—refused to express enthusiasm or sympathize with the artificial enthusiasm of (»oliticians. They went right ahead attending to business, seemingly oblivious of the fact that a campaign involving a great political crisis was under way. The whole trend of the campaign managers in the States of the middle West during the last days was to arouse the fanner Efficiently to insure his going to the ballot box on election day. This did not mean that the fart.ner was neglected in the earlier stages of the campaign There was heavy voting in Wisconsin, Minnesota, lowa and other States, where the campaign dragged in a most unaccountable manner. Therefore the apathy w;hich was the puzzle and despair of the bosses-for weeks did not ex*> tend its influence to the.ballot b0x..,.* ; t ,i: